SA-107 MIA-86 The Heat do not look like they are going to be making any noise the rest of this series. There seemed to be no energy at all this game and I do not see any way that they could muster up some for Game 5. If the problem is lack of energy in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, there is a bigger problem with your team. I usually try to do a game MVP, but honestly, the entire Spurs team deserves credit for this win.
MVP: Gregg Popovich
I predict the Spurs offense to keep rolling in Game 5, and the Heat defense is going to be still absent.
Prediction: SA- 100 MIA-88
SA-93 MIA- 71 5:07 This game has become so boring that I have resorted to watching 2 Chainz freestyles. I do not recommend 2 Chainz freestyles. The Heat are getting dominated by the way.
SA-84 MIA-61 10:30 Udonis Haslem checked into the game and the energy immediately picked up in the building. I feel like Haslem should have been placed in the game much earlier; it was evident that none of the other Heat big men were going to do anything.
END Q3
SA-81 MIA-57 This one is basically over. The Miami crowd is completely stunned at the lack of effort by their team. The Heat scored 21 pts that quarter; 19 coming from LeBron. Did LeBron really leave Cleveland for this? Just in case you were wondering, Chris Bosh is still alive.
SA-76 MIA-54 2:08 No guard for the Heat can stay in front of Tony Parker. I would suggest that LBJ could guard Parker, but then the Heat would have no one to guard Leonard. There are just too many weapons for the Spurs, and not enough energy from the Heat.
SA-70 MIA-49 4:10 The Spurs withstood the surge from the Heat and have built up their lead again. I honestly think that LeBron has a stomach bug or some sort of ailment because he is usually not this passive. As for the other Heat players? I think they are either just old or not good enough to compete with the Spurs. Wade keeps complaining to the officials and I forgot that Chris Bosh still plays for the Heat.
SA-61 MIA-46 8:06 LeBron must be reading my blog because he has come out with scoring on his mind in the third quarter. He already has scored 10 points this quarter and the Heat are getting back in this game. This is almost an exact replica of Game 3. Heat fans hope that the ending, however, is different. The Spurs have settled for too many jump shots to start this half. Although Parker has made some, he is not a jump shooter and is much more effective probing the lane.
HALFTIME
SA-55 MIA-36 This seems to be a replay of Game 3, except without the 76% shooting from the Spurs. Still, they are well over 50%. I wish LeBron would take over like Michael Jordan would whenever his team got down. LBJ is too good for any defense to stop. On too many possessions he gets the ball and stands there waiting for something to happen. A player of his caliber needs to make something happen. At this point I do not see any way for the Heat to get back in this series -- let alone this game.
SA-53 MIA-33 1:47 There is no energy among the Heat players. LeBron James just got triple teamed in the paint and Mario Chalmers stood at the top of the key like a statue. He has to re-position himself in the corner so LeBron can pass out of trouble.
SA-46 MIA-29 3:07 Guard play for Miami has by non-existent, so Spoelstra has inserted Toney Douglas to try to get some more energy in the Heat players. I would like to see LeBron James and Dwyane Wade be more aggressive on the offensive end; their passive approach reminds me of how Kawhi Leonard was playing in Games 1 & 2 when he was struggling.
SA-37 MIA-28 6:43 Miami has been able to cut the deficit to 9, but there is still a lot of concern in their huddle. Their defense still has not showed up and the Spurs -- specifically Boris Diaw -- are taking advantage of this. Diaw just made a great no-look, behind-the-back pass to Splitter in the paint like he was a point guard.
SA-33 MIA-20 8:55 This Spurs offense is going to talked about for the next 20 years. Their ability to pass a teammate open reminds me of how soccer players pass. This may be the reason why they love to draft International players so much -- their experiences with soccer as young kids carries over into the passing of basketball. Steve Nash said that playing soccer improved his ability to expect someone to be open in basketball; so this idea is not too far-fetched.
SA-31 MIA-19 10:12 The Heat just double teamed Boris Diaw in the paint which led to a wide open three by Danny Green. The Heat defense needs to be much smarter otherwise this game is going to end up like Game 3.
END Q1
SA-26 MIA- 17 The Heat defense has been much better from last game, but it is still not good enough to expect to win with the rate at which their own offense is going. LeBron James has been playing very well offensively -- drawing help defense and kicking out to open shooters -- but the Heat shooters have not been knocking down their open shots.
SA-22 MIA-13 1:20 Watching the Spurs offense is like watching poetry in motion. The offense is engraved into each players head so much so that they know what teammate(s) is going to be open after the help defense comes. Coupling this knowledge with multiple knockdown three point shooters equals a potent offense.
SA-13 MIA-4 6:52 Danny Green has continued to be aggressive and has made two three pointers early in this game. Both were contested fairly well so the Heat will have to bear the storm of his three pointers as there is not much more they can do. Boris Diaw has continued to be one of the best players on the floor and by far the best passer on the floor. His ability to know where every player is and is going to be allows him to make passers most point guards cannot make. Still looking for Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers to become active in this game.
SA-4 MIA-2 9:02 The Heat have been much better on the defensive end and the Spurs have not made as many shots as they did last game. Nothing is coming easy for the Spurs at the rim.
PRE-GAME: Look for the Heat defense to be on point to start the game following their abysmal performance in Game 3. Look for a lot of playing time for Andersen, as the Heat will try to control the pick-and-roll game that decimated their defense last time out.
The Spurs have nothing to improve on at the offensive end; if they continue to pass and move as well as they did last game the Heat will not be able to really do anything but outscore them. However, there is much for the Spurs to improve on at the defensive end. Close-outs on three pointers is incredibly important as the Heat have shown their ability to knockdown open threes and both Wade and Allen utilize the pump-fake very effectively.
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